Kohl Fellowship winner Kristine Dix ‘blown away’ by award

“I was blown away.”

Those were the words Kristine Dix used to describe how it felt when she learned she was receiving a Herb Kohl Educational Foundation 2025 Teacher Fellowship.

Dix teaches first grade at Medford Area Elementary School and through her career in Medford has also served as special eduction assistant and as a mental health educator.

Earlier this spring the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation announced that Dix, was one of 100 Wisconsin teachers selected as a recipient of the 2025 Teacher Fellowship awards. With an estimated 60,000 teachers employed across the state, being recognized among the top 100 to receive the fellowship is quite an achievement.

“I feel very blessed to work and live in the Medford community. And to just be honored and recognized for this role is huge, I was blown away, not only just to be nominated, but to actually win the award was a blessing,” Dix said.

Being selected for the Kohl Fellowship involved multiple steps. First you need to be nominated.

“I was fortunate enough to be nominated by our special ed and student services director Joseph Greget,” Dix explained. Those nominated then need to get three letters of recommendation and complete an application process.

“I printed mine off, it was about 17 pages long,” Dix said, explaining that it dives deep into the nominee’s philosophy as a teacher and what nominees do in addition to teaching in their community, what areas are they passionate about, and how they bring that into their classrooms.

For Dix, an area of passion in education, is working with the peer performance.

“I became part of our peer performance team at our older levels, where we are referred to as Raiders Committed,” she said. She explained that the group was started about 5 years ago and was able to secure grants to get things started. She said the program as a whole touches on topics like alcohol and other drug abuse.

She explained that from her end of things she teaches whole group lessons for both MAES and Stetsonville Elementary School on topics like healthy lifestyle choices and about Red Ribbon Week.

She said this year’s theme was “life is like a movie and make it yours.” She said that the students explored different movie characters and how it's relatable to each of student as individuals too. “Just some good character, strong lessons,” she said. In addition for national Drug and Alcohol facts week, they focus on basic introductory topics including what is alcohol or tobacco, some of the legalities, and the difference between good drugs like medicine or harmful drugs. In addition to peer performance she also teaches youth mental health first aid.

In this she explained, it is looking at youth in what's normal in development and maybe what could lead to a crisis and how to respond, similar to how CPR classes are taught, but for mental health.

The Kohl Teaching Fellowship brings with it $6,000 to the school district to be used to help fund a project. Dix said she hasn’t made a decision on how to use the funds.

“The fellowship gives you guidance on using it so that it supports something you're passionate about,” she said, noting that she is considering options and where there are needs in the programs she works with.

“I would love it to go towards either our peer performance program or possibly our CARES program where we offer mental health counseling for free to students who need it,” Dix said.

When not teaching, Dix and her husband, Justin, raise their three children, Lexi, Brynn and Ryot. In addition, she has coached basketball through the Booster Club for the past four years.

Dix grew up on a family farm and still takes time to help with crops. “My children help in Grandpa’s garden,” she said, noting they raise items to sell in the farmers’ market.

Dix said she loved being outdoors and enjoys summer because of being able to go kayaking. Mostly, she said she enjoys spending time with her family and going on adventures. For example, Dix and her husband recently took their middle child to 6 Flags and rode on all the roller coasters. “It was so much fun,” she said.

Kristine Dix